Personal loans in Howard Lake, MN
With roughly 2,186 residents, Howard Lake is a small community, and the lending rules its borrowers live under are written in Minnesota, not by the city. Roughly 2,186 residents live in Howard Lake, the 252nd-largest community in Minnesota. Census figures put the 2020-to-2023 increase in Howard Lake at about 5.2%. For a community of about 2,186, the practical step is to compare APR across at least three lenders before committing. The closest larger city is Cokato, MN about 6 miles away. Every figure below is Minnesota's own, applied to Howard Lake's 2,186 residents, with the publisher and retrieval date attached.
Where Howard Lake stands
Set out below is Howard Lake's local context next to the state-level rules that reach every lender here.
- Population: 2,186 — Howard Lake ranks 252nd of 853 communities in Minnesota (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: Roughly 5.2% more residents than the 2020 Census counted.
- Change in people: the 2020-to-2023 comparison is a gain of about 109 residents.
- Size percentile: about 70% of Minnesota's Census places are smaller than Howard Lake.
- Density: roughly 1,180 residents per square mile, spread over 1.9 sq mi of land.
- By land area: Howard Lake ranks 346th among Minnesota's 853 places, at 1.9 sq mi.
- Water area: Howard Lake has 0.06 square miles of water, ranking 280th of 853 places in Minnesota.
- Within Minnesota: about 0.0% of the state's population lives in Howard Lake.
- National rank: Howard Lake sits 7,311th by population among the 19,457 places in this dataset.
- Growth rank: Howard Lake's 2020-to-2023 change ranks 69th of 853 places in Minnesota.
- State comparison: Minnesota's places average +0.1% for 2020-to-2023, against Howard Lake's 5.2%.
- Density in Minnesota: Howard Lake ranks 207th by people per square mile.
- Against the state median: Howard Lake runs about 1,180 residents per square mile, where the Minnesota median is 607.
- Location: it lies at 45.0540, -94.0610 in the Census Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities: Cokato (6 mi); Winsted (7 mi); Montrose (7 mi); Watertown (12 mi); Maple Lake (13 mi). Any of them may have more branches, but statewide rules and your credit still set the price.
- Smaller places nearby: Waverly (5 mi); Lester Prairie (12 mi); Silver Lake (12 mi).
- Smaller places within 50 miles: 66 of them.
- Larger places within 100 miles: 210.
Howard Lake against the rest of Minnesota
Against Minnesota's other places, Howard Lake accounts for about 0.0% of the state's population and ranks 252nd of 853 by size. For population change between 2020 and 2023, Howard Lake ranks 69th of 853 in Minnesota (about the 92th percentile). At about 1,180 people per square mile, Howard Lake is the 207th most densely settled place in Minnesota. By land area, its 1.9 square miles rank 346th of 853 places in Minnesota.
Lender access in Howard Lake
Howard Lake is a moderately settled community of about 2,186 people, with 123 larger places inside a 50-mile radius. A Minnesota licence lets a lender serve Howard Lake without a local office, so branch density does not change what its 2,186 residents are offered. For a larger market, the closest option is Cokato, MN about 6 miles away.
A pre-application checklist for Howard Lake
Before you hand your details to a lender in Howard Lake, where the population is near 2,186:
- Pull your credit reports first and correct any error before a lender sees the file.
- Price the payment first with our personal loan calculator before any lender quotes you.
- Shop at least three lenders and judge them on APR and total cost.
- Confirm the lender holds a Minnesota licence by checking the regulator named above.
- Choose a term you can live with; stretching it lowers the payment but raises total interest.
- Borrow only what the purpose requires, not the maximum you are offered.
- Be clear on what the loan is for and how it gets repaid.
In Howard Lake as elsewhere in Minnesota, the written terms — not the advertisement — are what count for its 2,186 residents.
Where Howard Lake sits
Howard Lake's land area is about 1.9 square miles; a further 0.06 square miles is water. The resulting density is about 1,180 people per square mile. The state's population centre of gravity, Minneapolis, is roughly 39 miles away. Howard Lake has 123 larger places within a 50-mile radius. By land area it ranks 346th of 853 Minnesota places.
How Minnesota law applies in Howard Lake
When Minnesota does not publish a figure, the row links to the source instead of inventing a number; Howard Lake is bound by the same rules.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State lending regulator | Minnesota Department of Commerce (commissioner of commerce) Source says: ""Commissioner" means the commissioner of commerce" | Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal and licensed; APR capped at 36%, or up to 50% with an ability-to-repay analysis (Minn. Stat. §§ 47.60, 47.601, 47.603) Source says: "The cap on that annual percentage rate is set at either 36%, or up to 50% if the lender conducts an ability to repay analysis" | Minnesota Department of Commerce as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Regulated loan license required from the commissioner for loans within the Chapter 56 threshold (Minn. Stat. § 56.01) Source says: "without first obtaining a license from the commissioner, no person shall engage in the business of making loans of money" | Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes as of 2026-09-16 |
Common questions
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Nearby places
- Waverly, MN — population 2,121
- Winsted, MN — population 2,225
- Cokato, MN — population 2,770
- Montrose, MN — population 3,906
- Lester Prairie, MN — population 1,901
- Maple Lake, MN — population 2,209
- New Germany, MN — population 453
- Silver Lake, MN — population 861